


Teach Me (How to Love You)

by ralsbecket



Series: PoTS Stockings [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Everyone Thinks They're Together, Feelings Realization, Friendship/Love, Love Languages, M/M, Song: love language (Ariana Grande)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29194320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralsbecket/pseuds/ralsbecket
Summary: Like a live frog sitting in a slowly boiling pot of water, Tony didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. He wasn’t exactly sure when he fell in love with Steve Rogers.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: PoTS Stockings [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160600
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2020





	Teach Me (How to Love You)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bleakloft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleakloft/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Bleakloft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleakloft/pseuds/Bleakloft) in the [stony_stocking_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2020) collection. 



> “Teach me how to love you, I'm unlearning what ain't right  
> I want you to keep speaking my love language  
> Baby, talk your shit all night”  
> \- Ariana Grande, _love language_
> 
> A/N: For Ari, my twin flame, I hope you enjoy!! Inspired by the "Love is in the little things" prompt.

Tony Stark had learned the hard way to start guarding his heart. He’d been burned too many times before not to. It was one betrayal, back-stab, or disappointment after another, from Sunset to Ty, from Lena to Rumiko, and maybe most heartbreakingly, from Pepper. When Steve had started to show even the slightest bit of interest in him, he shut it down as quick as he could – “Sorry, Cap, not exactly looking to play the field” – and he thought it was going to be fine. He thought that being friends with Steve was going to be easy, that they were going to _stay_ friends, but his heart had other plans.

Like a live frog sitting in a slowly boiling pot of water, Tony didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. He wasn’t exactly sure when he fell in love with Steve Rogers. The only thing he was sure of was the undeniable warmth he felt in his chest whenever he even thought about the blond super-soldier, as if he was some kind of school-girl with a crush on the captain of the football team. 

Tony couldn’t pinpoint what it was that had him falling so hard. Steve was… _Steve_. He was his closest teammate and best friend after Rhodey. If it wasn’t for Clint’s teasing jab at them after a mission briefing one day – “Okay, love birds, why don’t you two keep the PDA to a minimum during team time, huh?” – well, Tony wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

But, because Tony was Tony, he definitely started thinking twice about it. More of the stayed-up-until-daylight kind of thinking about it. Can’t-help-second-guessing-everything kind of thinking about it. Maybe-I-actually-do-like-him kind of thinking about it. Tony overthought the situation so much that he started asking everyone, “If you didn’t know me and Steve, would you think we were dating?”

His responses ranged from a reserved “Oh, definitely,” from Bruce to an uncharacteristically shocked “You’re _not_ dating?” from Natasha. Every interaction he’d had with Steve up to that point just kept replaying in his head.

The random things exchanged between them. Tony giving him uniform updates just because. Steve remembering the exact way Tony took his coffee. Tony sending texts of things that reminded him of Steve. Steve cooking for two just so he knew that Tony had at least one square meal in a day.

The companionable time together. Contented silences when Tony worked in the workshop and Steve sketched on the loveseat. Late-night ice cream runs to the city when it was two in the morning. Hours-long conversations about anything and everything in the tower’s parking garage when neither of them wanted to leave the car after a press event.

The comfortably familiar touches. Steve leaning against Tony’s back as he watched him work on weapons upgrades over his shoulder. Tony finding Steve’s hand for comfort whenever he got nervous. Steve sitting with Tony during movie nights, an arm thrown loosely across his shoulders. Tony pulling Steve into a hug when he knew that he needed it most.

Fuck. Why hadn’t he noticed sooner? They weren’t even _together_ , yet they fit so seamlessly into each other’s lives that maybe… Tony humored the thought that, yeah, maybe they _could be_.

Tony’s genius mind thought that accosting Steve in front of his bedroom was the smartest idea. He firmly asked when the door opened, “Would you grab dinner?”

Steve merely blinked at Tony, his mouth opening in a silent question. “Sure?” he started slowly, eyes narrowing. “I can probably whip up something quick if you’re that hungry –”

“What?” Tony squawked, brows knitting together. “No, no. Want to, I mean. Dinner to grab. With me.”

A subtle blush appeared on Steve’s cheeks, but a smile began to tug up the corners of his mouth. “Are you saying you wanna step out with me?”

Tony sported a bashful smile, asking, “Do… do _you_?”

Steve beamed at him, blue eyes twinkling. “Thought you’d never ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my linktree for tumblr, discord, and other socials!](https://linktr.ee/ralsbecket)


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